


Inside the Dark

by ieatboyss



Category: Dragon Ball, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome Bulma Briefs, DBZ in the SW universe, Eventual Smut, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), I still suck at tags guys, M/M, No Saiyans, No one is related unless stated otherwise, Slow Burn, Soulmates, The Force and lightsabers are a thing, The Frieza Force is basically the First Order, Vegeta (Dragon Ball) vs Feelings, You see where I'm going with this right, flying and ki blasts are not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:29:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24482812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ieatboyss/pseuds/ieatboyss
Summary: The war between the Frieza Force and the Z-Fighters wages on. Both sides are desperately searching for the same thing, the map to Bardock, the only living person with the location of the legendary dragon balls.Bulma, an orphan stranded on the planet Arlia, comes across a lost android on a secret mission and desperate for help. Unbeknownst to her, helping the android will place her in the middle of a galactic war, a war she will play an essential part in.Having long since abandoned his old identity as Vegeta, Ozul No Ouji terrorizes the galaxy on behalf of Lord Frieza. The masked prince goes unopposed until he meets the blue haired woman who has haunted his dreams since he was a boy.**Dragon Ball Z meets the Star Wars universe**
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Comments: 15
Kudos: 25





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I think my tags should clarify the way this story is gonna go.

  
  


* * *

  


* * *

  
_I'll be the light and lead you home when there's nowhere left to go_ _  
I'll be the voice you always know when you're lost and all alone  
I won't let you go  
I will find you here inside the dark  
I will break through no matter where you are  
I will find you _

_Ruelle - Find You_   
  


* * *

Most people get to _choose_ when to be alone and when to socialize. Bulma wasn't like most people though. She was vastly different for multiple reasons, the most important one was still unknown to her but wouldn’t be for long. 

When she was a little girl, her parents abandoned her on the planet Arlia. She couldn’t remember their faces or their voices, but she did remember watching their ship fly away as she cried and screamed for them to take her with them. They left their only child with a complete stranger, Hercule Satan. She didn’t know why they left her and realistically she knew she’d more than likely never get an answer to that question. Regardless, the memory still haunted her.

Her dreams were the same for as long as she could remember. She either dreamed of her parents leaving or she dreamed about a black haired boy around her age. The older she got the less she dreamed about her parents and the more she dreamed of the boy. When she dreamed of him it was always different and always pleasant. When she’d wake up from the pleasant dream, the crushing reality of just how alone she was would settle deep into her bones.

Being a beautiful female alone on the dark unpleasant planet was not an ideal living environment for anyone. Her intelligence and her ability to scavenge the ruins of old buildings and ships was the only reason she had survived as long as she had on a planet mostly inhabited by outlaws and other scavengers. Bulma’s entire life had been one long drawn out fight over one thing after another. She was getting tired of fighting, tired of the isolation, and tired of feeling helpless. 

* * *

Raditz wasn’t a dumb man. Arrogant and cocky? Yes. A bit of a smart ass? Definitely. Stupid? Not usually.

That changed the moment he fired his blaster at one of the galaxy's most dangerous men. Ozul No Ouji, the commander of Frieza’s army, was not only an extremely strong and talented fighter, but he was gifted with the ability to use the Force. 

The Force was a mysterious energy field created by life that binds the galaxy together. Harnessing the power of the Force gives those sensitive to the energy extraordinary abilities, such as levitating objects, tricking minds, and seeing things before they happen. Most Force users gravitate to the light and used their abilities for good. Ozul No Ouji gravitated toward the dark side and used his abilities to cause harm to others. 

None of this crossed Raditz’s mind when he aimed his blaster at the man’s back and fired. The screams of the villagers as his men slaughtered them mercilessly drowned out any coherent thought he may have had. Watching him raise his crossguard lightsaber and strike down the defenseless old man that had helped him was the last straw.

Perceiving the threat, the masked man reacted immediately. Spinning around quickly, he raised his hand and aimed his palm towards Raditz. The blast from his blaster froze in midair as if it hit an invisible wall. 

Raditz’s heart was pounding, his lungs were heaving, and his muscles refused to respond. He was just as paralyzed as the blast from his blaster. A pair of combatants quickly grabbed him, dragged him forward, and pushed him to his knees directly in front of the dark man in the mask. 

Part of him was grateful they held onto him. If they hadn’t, he would have made a fool of himself and fallen face first into the dirt. Despite his current predicament, Raditz did what he does best, he acted like the sarcastic asshole he was.

“Not necessarily complaining but the least you could do is buy me dinner before forcing me to my knees,” he snickered and was met with silence. Not being able to see the man’s face made the whole ordeal much more unnerving. 

Ozul stood before him dressed in all black, a stark contrast to the white armor most of Frieza's minions wore. The form fitting black bodysuit was covered with all black armor. His black boots and black gloves ensured not an inch of skin was exposed. The black mask he wore was what unnerved Raditz the most. The sides were a dark metallic grey with a jagged design that would frame his jawline if it was against skin and not transparisteel. The front of the mask was just as black as the rest of his outfit but was domed and tinted. When looking directly at him you couldn’t see anything, not even your own reflection. It was like looking into a living, breathing, black hole. 

“So...Silence makes me extremely uncomfortable. Is there something you would like to talk about? I’m all ears. I mean...it’s not like I can go anywhere. By the way, the cape and the mask, it’s a really good look on you. It’s probably an improvement. At least, I assume it is considering I have no idea what you look like without it. Why else would you wear it? Fashion statement?” Raditz rambled.

Without speaking, Ozul casually scrutinized his new prisoner. Raditz felt his muscles involuntarily twitch as feeling slowly began to return to his arms and legs. 

“A Z-Fighter pilot?” he stated as if it was a question. His head was slightly tilted with curiosity before he nodded curtly. “Search him thoroughly.”

One of the combatants who had dragged Raditz forward began a not so gentle pat down. 

“Seriously you guys get straight to the point. I can’t remember the last time someone felt me up before even bothering to ask for my name.”

“Nothing sir,” declared the first combatant, standing at attention.

Raditz winked at him. “Good job. Was it as good for you as it was for me?”

“Shall we terminate him sir?” the other combatant asked, almost hopeful.

The voice modulator in his mask distorted Ozul’s voice, making it impossible to detect any disappointment in his tone. 

“No. I need him alive...for now.” Plainly disappointed, the two combatants dragged Raditz away. 

Awaiting his presence, the senior officer in charge of the special forces unit approached him. The white and navy blue armor stuck out when standing next to Ozul. The bronze shoulder pads made the fat pink man look larger and more foreboding than he actually was. Ozul despised the pink blob and would have killed him long ago if it wouldn't displease Frieza.

“Well? Orders?” he asked rudely. 

Ozul surveyed what was left of the small village in front of him. He had already spent too much time there and was unsuccessful in retrieving the information he wanted. He was hoping some one-on-one time with the Z-Fighter would change that.

“Kill them all Captain Dodoria, and search the village. When your troops are done, burn down whatever’s still standing.”

With a single nod, Dodoria turned and faced the line of troopers that stood before the cowering villagers. 

* * *

Krillin wasn’t sure how long he had been running, but he knew if he wasn’t an android he would have collapsed a long time ago. He had no idea where he was going, but he needed to follow Raditz’s orders and get away from the chaos unfolding in the small Arlian village as soon as possible. 

The leader of the rebel group known as the Z-Fighters, General Eschalot, had sent him with Raditz to the planet Arlia on an extremely important mission. They were to retrieve information from one of her old allies and return to the base as soon as possible. 

It was going according to plan until four Frieza Force ships arrived and began to slaughter the Arlians inhabiting the village the General’s ally was residing in. Raditz gave the information to Krillin and told him to run until he was far away from there, promising he'd come back for him.

Reluctantly, Krillin did what he was told and ran. He had no idea whether or not Raditz was captured or killed, and he was trying not to think about it. All he knew was that he needed to get back to Z base before anyone in the Frieza Force found him and discovered the information he was now in possession of. Frieza would stop at nothing to get the information he had, the map to the Jedi Bardock, the only living person in the galaxy that knew how to find the legendary dragon balls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the third time I've started this story. 
> 
> If you read the other two versions and are back for this one I applaud you because I would have given up on me. 
> 
> If its any consolation I don't intend on scrapping this one after a few chapters and will definitely see it through to the end.
> 
> I have to give a shout out to [Fanfictina18](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanfictina18/works) & [pastelgothicc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelgothicc/works)  
> for listening to me brainstorm and giving me their feedback when I desperately needed it.


	2. Fall Into Me

* * *

_  
Follow me,_  
 _I'll show you the way_  
 _Out of this blue  
_ _Fall into me  
_ _And drown inside me  
_ _I know you will see  
_ _The Beauty of me  
_ _Now you see  
_ _All that I can be  
_ _Tired are your splendid soldiers  
_ _Tired are they, Here they go  
_

_Alev Lenz - Fall Into Me_

* * *

Raditz wasn't sure how long he had been in the custody of the Frieza Force but it felt like days. After being captured and taken aboard the Punisher, he was escorted to an interrogation room and strapped to a chair. 

The large grotesque pink man he had seen back in the village on Arlia was the first to visit him. After beating him until one of his eyes was swollen shut and blood dripped down from his brow bone, he left the room in a fury, upset he wasn’t able to beat the information out of him successfully. The next person to visit him was more successful at extracting the information they were after.

Ozul had torn into his mind with the gentleness one would expect from the man in the mask. It felt like a pair of identical claws ripped through his mind as his memories flashed before his eyes until the man finally found what he was looking for.

“You’re not as clever as you think weakling. I will find the android and the map. When I do, I will bring him back to this ship and tear him limb from limb in front of you before killing you myself,” the man said before turning and leaving the room. 

_I failed the General and I failed the Z-Fighters. That monster is going to find Krillin and kill him and then kill me. He’ll have the map to Bardock and everything we’ve fought for will have been for nothing._

Just as Raditz was wallowing in self pity and lamenting over his failures, the door to the room hissed open and in walked two combatants. The taller one with the black spiky hair sticking up in every direction looked almost cheerful while the green-skinned soldier looked as if he intended to eat Raditz for dinner. Raditz couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow in curiosity and the difference between the two.

“Hi there!” the taller man said as he waved with the hand not holding a blaster.

“Shut up Kakarot! You’re not to talk to the prisoner you idiot!” the reptilian man snarled. “We’re to take him to General Zarbon, not chit chat with him now shut up before I report you again.”

"Geesh, sorry Iru. I was just saying hi," the tall man frowned and looked at the ground.

Iru holstered his blaster and approached Raditz while sneering. “You don’t look so good hotshot. I’ve heard stories about what Ozul likes to do to his prisoners. He knows how to dig into the deep dark corners of your mind,” the man said as he entered a sequence of numbers into the small control panel on the side of the chair.

“General Zarbon though, he’s the twisted fuck you should be worried about. You think what Ozul did to you is bad? You’ll be begging for him after spending time with the General. He prefers to torture his prisoners the old fashioned way he-” 

The man abruptly stopped his intimidation speech as soon as he entered the last number into the control panel and crumpled to the ground at Raditz's feet. The cuffs around his wrists and ankles clicked open, releasing him from the chair. The odd man was lowering the butt of his blaster after hitting his fellow soldier in the back of the head with it. Hesitantly, fearing it was a trap, Raditz stayed seated and stared back at the smirking man in front of him.

“Sorry about that. He’s really mean and likes to try and scare people. I would have knock him out sooner but I needed him to unlock your cuffs. I let someone out once so they took away my access,” the taller man said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. 

“Who are you? Why are you being so nice? Is this a trap? If you’re planning on beating me some more get it over with but don’t fuck with me,” Radtiz sneered while rubbing his sore wrists.

“Huh? I’m not gonna hurt you. This isn't a trap, I just wanna help,” Kakarot said, confused.

“Why? Why do you want to help? I’m your enemy. If they catch you in here they’re either going to kill you or they’re going to strap you in a chair next to me.”

“I wanna help because it’s the right thing to do. I don’t want to hurt anyone and if I stay here they’re going to make me do it or kill me like you said. I know you’re a Z-Fighter and I wanna help,” he said with a smile on his face. 

Raditz was starting to think the man may have something wrong with him but he seemed genuine enough. What did he have to lose? If he tries to escape and it’s a trap, they’ll kill him. If he stays in the room he’s currently in, they’ll kill him.

“What’s you’re name?” Raditz asked as he climbed out of the chair on wobbly knees.

“Well I don't know what name my parents gave me but according to the Frieza Force my name is Kakarot. I had a friend once, he called me Goku. I like that a lot more but he...he's not around anymore," he said while looking down at his feet.

“Okay Goku, how are we getting out of here?” Raditz asked as he leaned down to pick up the unconscious soldiers blaster. 

“Um...well I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I just wanted to get you out of here. I was gonna wait and try to think of a plan first but I heard them say they were gonna take you to the General and trust me, you do _not_ want to meet him.”

Raditz easily lifted the unconscious man and sat him in the interrogation chair before manually closing the cuffs around his hands and ankles. He smashed the control panel with the butt of his new blaster for good measure.

“Okay no plan. No problem we can totally do this without a plan. Get me to a ship and I can get us out of here,” Raditz said as he turned his back on the chair and approached Goku. 

“Oh sure! I know where the hangar is, no problem. There’s gonna be a lot of people there though,” Goku said as he approached the door and pressed his back against the wall. 

“You sure you want to do this? You can still walk away. Once we walk out of this room there’s no coming back from it. You’re going to be labeled a traitor and you'll be just as wanted as I am,” Raditz said as he leaned against the wall opposite of Goku.

“I’m positive!” Goku scowled. “I can’t help the Frieza Force hurt any more people. I didn’t know how bad they were until Arlia. If I had known I would have tried to leave sooner. Now is my chance to help and I wanna take it!” he said with determination.

“Alright Goku, Welcome to the Z-Fighters. Let’s do this,” Raditz smirked and Goku smiled from ear to ear. 

* * *

“General Zarbon, the map to Bardock’s location is in the possession of a Kame 2RTL model android on planet Arlia. Do you think your men are competent enough to handle such a menial task or do I need to handle this myself?” Ozul said through his mask as he stepped onto the ships bridge.

The tall, green-haired man slowly turned to face him with a bored yet smug look on his face. The jeweled headpiece the man wore and the overly ostentatious earrings should have made him look less intimidating than he was, but the man towered over everyone with a look of permanent distaste. He treated everyone as if they were beneath him, which is exactly what he thought, especially in regards to Ozul. If Lord Frieza wasn’t so fond of him for reasons Zarbon couldn’t fathom, he would have gotten rid of him years ago. Ozul may have strength and the use of the Force, but Zarbon was sadistic and far more clever than anyone knew. 

“Tell me Commander, are you eager to get your hands on the map for Lord Frieza or because you’re still upset with your dear uncle?”

Ozul’s fists clenched at his sides. Zarbon couldn’t help but smile, knowing he was getting under the mans skin. Zarbon was nearly untouchable and he knew it. Ozul had received plenty of beatings in the years he had been with Frieza. He knew better than most what the consequences of harming Zarbon would be. Therefore, Zarbon got away with a lot more than most would.

“Get it done,” the masked man said through gritted teeth before turning to leave the bridge.

“Oh, one more thing Commander.”

Ozul paused but kept his back to Zarbon while glancing over his shoulder to acknowledge him.

“Lord Frieza requested your presence in his chambers some time ago. My apologies, I know how much he hates being kept waiting. It must have slipped my mind.” He brought his hand to his face and shook his head, feigning disappointment with himself. Ozul growled through his mask and stomped down the corridor, enraged.

Zarbon smiled and turned his attention to officer Cui who was hovering nearby, awaiting orders.

“Cui, send a team of combatants back to Arlia to search for the android. You heard the description. Your men are not to return without it. Dispatch two TIE fighters as well. The android is not to be damaged in anyway. It must be returned to us intact,” Zarbon said while looking out the viewport at planet Arlia.

“Right away General.”

* * *

Bulma liked to think of herself as a technological genius. Arlia wasn’t exactly the tech hub of the galaxy but thanks to the galactic war that took place before she was born, there were plenty of old ships scattered around the planet. Scavenging for out of date technology was not only what kept her fed, it kept her sane. What parts she couldn't sell, she used for herself. The most valuable thing she owned was the speeder she had hand built from what others would consider ‘junk.’ 

When possible, she did small jobs around the nearby towns outpost fixing ships and other pieces of damaged technology. At times, jobs were scare and many had offered to pay her for ‘other’ services but she refused. She had been tempted once or twice with the promise of transport off the hell hole she unfortunately called home but berated herself shortly after for even considering it.

At a young age she had seen what many young girls did, not only for credits, but to survive. She made a promise to herself that no matter how desperate, no matter how hungry, she would never resort to selling her body. Instead, she risked her life every day climbing in and out of the remains of Star Destroyers alone. 

* * *

She had done exceptionally well and was speeding to her make shift home, the skeletal remains of a small abandoned transport ship. The glee she felt knowing how much she’d make off of the parts she found was short lived when she heard panicked high pitched screaming. She quickly steered her speeder towards the source of the screams and hopped off of it without bothering to cut the engine when she reached the edge of a small ravine. 

At the bottom was a small, bald man flailing his arms wildly and screaming. He was stuck in one of Arlia’s sinking pits and was too deep to pull himself out.

“Hold on!” Bulma yelled as she slid down the side of the ravine.

She removed the small baton like weapon from her back where it was strapped, pressed a small button on the handle, and flicked her wrist. The baton that had originally spanned from her shoulder blades to her lower back instantly expanded to the size of a staff. Both sides extended until the staff itself was taller than she was. It was one of the first things she had created and it had saved her life more than once. She skid to a stop at the edge of the sinking pit with her staff fully extended.

“Stop panicking! You’ll only sink faster!” she yelled as she got to her knees and stretched as close as she could without sinking herself.

Thankfully the mans head was still above the ground and he could still hear her.

“Hang on to this and hold on tight!” she yelled as she shoved one end of her staff towards him. 

Bulma hesitantly scooted closer when only the man’s fingertips grazed the end of the staff. Bulma thrust the staff towards him once more as the man did his best to lunge towards her. The moment his hand wrapped tightly around the staff, Bulma leaned back, planted her feet at the edge of the pit and pulled back as hard as she could. 

Slowly, more and more of the mans body emerged until he was clear of the pit. He laid next to Bulma in the dirt while she tried to catch her breath. She wiped the sweat from her brow, sat up straight, and turned to face him.

“Hi! I’m Bulma,” she said with a smile.

“Hi Bulma I’m-”

  
  


“If I hadn’t been here you’d be dead by now you know that right?” Bulma stood, put her hands on her hips, and frowned down at the small man.

Krillin looked up at the extremely intimidating young woman looming over him. She had uniquely colored blue eyes and matching blue hair that was pulled up into a messy bun at the top of her head. Resting just above her hairline were a pair of worn goggles. Her tight black pants were tucked into knee high black boots. Slung around her waist and wrapped around her thigh were weapon holsters but instead of blasters she held tools in various shapes and sizes.

Her tight white shirt was stained and dirty and so was the dark grey hooded vest she wore over it. Krillin wasn’t sure but if he had to guess he would say she was a mechanic or maybe a scavenger based on her clothes alone. 

“Uh...yeah I’m sorry Bulma. I’ve never been to this planet before I’ve only read about it. I knew about the sinking pits but I’ve never seen one in person. I should have been paying more attention. My name’s Krillin,” the android said sheepishly.

The small lights in the middle of the mans forehead started to flash.

“Oh, you’re an android! I’ve never seen an android that looks human before. All the androids I’ve seen look...well they look like droids!” She leaned down into his personal space to get a closer look at him. 

The small man appeared to be human until she got closer to him. When looking into his eyes she could see the small circuitry at work behind them. The six marks on his forehead that she had originally thought were strangely symmetrical freckles were very clearly lights. The pants and boots he was wearing were completely caked in mud from the pit and so was his shirt and half the orange, rust colored jacket he wore.

“I’m a-”

“You’re a Kame Android. A 2RTL model right?” Bulma straightened and held her hand out for the confused android.

“Uh...yeah,” Krillin gave her a strange look. He wanted to ask how she knew his make and model just by looking at him if she had never met any other androids like him. 

“I like to read,” Bulma smirked as if he had asked his question out loud. “So where are you from?” she asked while glancing towards the top of the ravine where her speeder was parked and idly waiting for her.

Krillin looked down at his feet, not wanting to seem rude to the person that just saved his life and in turn, the Z-Fighters.

“I-I’m sorry Bulma but that’s classified.”

Bulma brought her attention back to Krillin and narrowed her eyes at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Classified huh?” Okay. Why are you on Arlia?” She tapped her foot with irritation and impatience while frowning down at him. It was getting dark out and she needed to get back home. No matter how tough you are, you do not wander around in the dark on Arlia.

“Uh...that’s classified too. I’m really sorry,” the man said while avoiding eye contact with her.

When Bulma stayed quiet, Krillin hesitantly looked up at her. She scowled at him intensely before she shrugged and lean down to pick up her staff. Both ends of the staff retracted into the handle with the press of a button. She lifted the strap over her head and let the now baton sized weapon rest between her shoulder blades.

“Well it was nice meeting you. I’d pay more attention to where you’re going though, especially at night. I won’t be around to save you next time. Bye!” Bulma said cheerfully as she turned her back to Krillin and walked towards the ravine wall.

“Wait! Where are you going?” Krillin asked, panicked. 

“It’s classified!” Bulma called over her shoulder.

“B-b-but you can’t leave me out here alone! I don’t know where I’m going!” 

“That sounds like a personal problem to me buddy. Keep going East. You’ll eventually reach Hercule's outpost. He’s an asshole so tread lightly.” Bulma placed her foot on one of the rocks jutting out of the ravine wall and began to climb up the side.

“What if...if I tell you the truth will you help me? I can’t tell you everything. There are security restrictions preventing me from giving away certain information. But I’ll tell you as much as I can. I really need your help Bulma, please?”

Bulma disappeared over the top of the ravine and out of sight. Krillin tried not to panic. He hadn't been on Arlia very long and he wasn't sure how long he would be trapped there, but he knew he wouldn't survive on his own. He sighed and hunched his shoulders in defeat. As he was turning in the direction Bulma had suggested, a long thick cable was thrown over the edge of the ravine, landing at his feet. When he looked up, Bulma was sitting on her speeder, staring down at him expectantly.

“Well, are you coming or not? It’s getting late and I need to get home!”

Krillin quickly grabbed the end of the cable and smiled up at Bulma. His smile faltered when he noticed the other end of the cable was hooked onto the back of her speeder.

“Hold on tight!” she yelled as she lowered her goggles over her eyes and revved the engine.

* * *

Goku jerked awake and sat up straight. He was severely disoriented when he looked around at his surroundings, having momentarily forgotten the events that took place prior to losing consciousness.

* * *

Goku ‘escorted’ Raditz to the Punisher’s hangar without any issues. They managed to commandeer a TIE, strap themselves in, fire up it’s engines, and ascend a few feet into the air before things took a turn.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the ship was anchored to the hangar wall by a fairly thick cable. They only realized it once Raditz tried to fly out of the hangar and were jerked backwards violently. 

“What the hell happened?” Raditz yelled while flipping various switches to calm the TIE’s systems down as they blared warning alarms throughout the small ship. 

“We’re still anchored to the wall,” Goku said nonchalantly after glancing towards the back of the TIE. 

“Oh? That’s all?” Raditz feigned disinterest.

“Yeah!” Goku responded cheerfully.

“AND YOU’RE JUST MENTIONING THE ANCHOR NOW?” Raditz yelled. Goku covered his ears as Raditz’s angry voice echoed through the ship.

“Stop yelling! I forgot! I’m sorry! I’ve never been in a TIE before. I’ve only been allowed on one mission and we were in a transport ship. Where are the blaster controls? I can try and shoot the cable maybe? I’m a pretty good shot,” Goku said proudly. “I think this controls the weapons system" he said as he leaned over a small control panel to his right. "This is awesome!” Goku chuckled while Raditz screamed internally.

Raditz pressed a red button on the side of the control panel, initiating the weapons system. They could hear the quiet ‘whirring’ sound as the weapons system warmed up. Blaster fire from on the ground began to pepper their small ship. Although the TIE fighters were used to taking damage from weapons much larger, continuous blasts from even handheld blasters would do some damage eventually. As the thought crossed his mind, a red light began to flash, signifying the weapons were ready to use. 

“Goku start shooting!”

Goku fired blast after blast in the general direction of the wall anchor. Raditz continued to push the TIE’s throttle forward to add tension to the already strained cable. Combatants began pouring into the hangar firing their blasters at them. The cable suddenly snapped and the TIE was practically launched out of the hangar, giving Raditz and Goku whiplash in the process. The two men whooped and fist bumped once they were clear of the Punisher.

“That was close!” Goku chuckled. “So where are we going now?”

“I’ve gotta go back to Arlia,” Raditz said as he set the coordinates to the planet he was captured on.

“Why would you wanna go back there?”

“Trust me Goku I don’t want to go back there but my android Krillin is there and I can’t leave without him. He's a 2RTL Kame android and he looks like a short bald dude. We need to find him before the Frieza Force does. They know what he looks like thanks to that freak digging around in my mind. He has some really important information and I need to get it back to Z base.”

“Oh...well okay then.”

The comfortable silence between the two men lasted less than five minutes before their TIE was rocketed by blasts. Multiple TIE fighters were on their trail but unlike last time, they were shooting to kill, not to capture.

Their ship had taken too much damage by the time they entered Arlia’s atmosphere and the landing gear was shot. One particularly strong blast shook the TIE hard enough for Raditz to slam the side of his head into the control panel. Simultaneously, Goku slammed his face into the back of Raditz’s seat. Both men were bleeding from the head and gradually losing consciousness.

As everything started to go dark around him, Raditz reached over and pushed the emergency eject button next to Goku’s seat. 

“Raditz no!” Goku yelled. 

The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was Raditz yelling “Find Krillin!” 

* * *

It took a minute to get his bearings but once he did he remembered where he was and how he got there. He was on planet Arlia and he was alive because of Raditz. He had no idea where on Arlia he was or how to find a way off the planet but he was alive and he was desperately hoping he could say the same about Raditz. 

Just in case he was to run into someone, he quickly removed the white vest like Freiza Force armor he was wearing, leaving him only in his tight fitting black body suit and white boots. Without any real sense of direction, Goku started walking straight, hoping he was going in the right direction. He had no idea what kind of things lurked in the dark on planet Arlia, he just hoped for once, things would work out and he’d find a way off the planet or find someone willing to help him soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I mentioned it in chapter 1 so I'm gonna go add a note but...
> 
> If it's not obvious 'combatants' are Frieza's version of stormtroopers. That's what they call all the random no name Frieza soldiers in canon. FYI.


End file.
